Electric cable



Nov. 16 1926. 1,607,432

5. J. BRYCE ELECTRIC CABLE Filed Dec. 11, 1925 I ZMQW Patented Nov. 16, 1926.

I 1,607,432 PATENT OFFICE.

STANLEY JAMES BRYCE, OF LEIGH, ENGLAND,

ASSIGNOR TO CALLENDERS CABLE AND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. LIMITED, OF LEIGH, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

ELECTRIC CABLE.

Application filed December 11, 1925, Serial 1V0.

The present invention relates to improvements in electric multicore cables. 1 I

It has been usual in the construction of multicore cables to provide various forms of indicating means on the cores, so that these can be readily distinguished from one another, such means for instance have comprised various colored tapes or wrapplngs, or again it has been suggested to print numbers upon the tape or wrapper or the like insulation for the cable, and it has also been suggested to use a distinguishing strip of thin metal tape having upon it, embossed or impressed, or otherwise mechanically marked indications. These methods, however, have been found unsatisfactory for a number of reasons.

They are usually expensive and it has further been found that in the case of numbering individual cables the numbers are apt to become obliterated in the subsequent manufacturing process of the cable, whilst in the case of colored Wrappings only a limited number of identification cores can be obtained. A metal tape will obviously affect the electrical characteristics of the cable;

The object of the present invention is to reduce the expense to a minimum and to allow an unlimited number of cores or conductors to be individually identified.

According to the present invention the individual conductors or cores of a multicore electric cable are associated with a strip or tape of paper, cloth or the like which has one or a group of punchings, perforations or utilations in it spaced along it, the punchings differing for each core or conductor. This strip or tape of paper, linen or the like material may either lie along each core, or be helically wrapped upon it. The use of a strip of insulating material such as paper or linen will not affect the electrical characteristics of the cable as would be the case where a metal foil or tape wrapping is used.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows one form of cable.

Figure 2 is a development of the paper strip wrapping for an individual core.

Figure 3 shows another form of cable.

Figure 4 shows a modified form of paper strip wrapping.

74,758, and in Great Britain October 18, 1924.

The cable (Figure 1) comprises a number of cores 1, 2, a, 4, 5, 6, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 individually insulated and within a common sheathing 7, which may be either of lead, rubber or other sheathing material. These individual insulating coverings may be of different colors as shown, to establish groups of such core insulations 5', 6, 21', which are shown as hatched horizontally to represent red; groups 1', 2 which are dotted to represent gray; and as 4 cross-hatched to represent black, etc.

Each insulated conductor formingan individual core of an electric cable is provided with a helical wrapping or tape 8 of paper, linen, or the like material, which has one or a group of punchings 9, 10, 11 spacbd along it, the punchings differing for each core. These tapes may be of differing colors to establish groups, and as represented, the tapes for the cores 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 are crosshatched to represent black; thus all conductors 4, 20, 21, 22 are dotted to represent gray; while others as 23, 24 and are conventionally represented by Way of example as green, pink and yellow, to indicate further color differentiations.

It will be preferred that the punchings such as 11 are arranged diagonally across the paper or the like strip shown in Fig. 2 so that when this is Wound helically round the cable these punchings lie in a straight line along the axis of the cable and can be therefore more readily distinguished.

In the case in which a tape or strip 12, Figure 3 is laid along or around the conductors or cores 13 as the case may be the mutilation may be in the form of perforations 14 arranged in groups as before or may (as shown in Figure 4) alternatively be in the form of groups of notches 16 cut in the edge 17 of the strip instead of perforations within the strip or tape. It-will be preferred to enclose the conductors or cores in this case in a paper wrapping 15 within the sheathing 7. It will be understood that by group is intended one or more such perforations or notches.

The punchings or mutilations may be in the form of one, two, three or more perforated holes arranged in a straight line or arranged to form the outline of symbols, figures or letters, or again combinations of punched dots and punched dashes can be used, similarly for instance to the Morse code, thereby giving a possibility oi large numbers of different indications.

It will be understood that, in the case of a. multicore cable, the insulation of a number of cores 1, 2, 3, may be ofone particular color, whilst the insulation of a number of the other cores may be of a second color and so on, so that the insulation of the cable will show through the punched or cut-away portion of the paper Wrapping, and a greater number of permutations by combinations of color of Wrapping, of color of insulation and peculiarity of punching is possible for identification purposes of the cable.

I declare that What I claim is 1. An electric multi-core cable comprising a plurality of individual insulated conductors, and an external helical wrapping of insulating material upon each of the conductors, each of said wrappings having groups of s aced mutilations along its length and disp ayed at its exterior when in position, the groups of mutilations being different whereby to identify the conductors throughout the length of the cable.

2. An electric multi-core cable comprising a plurality of individual insulated conductors, and tapes of insulating material of differing color wrapped about said conductors to distinguish the same into major groups, said tapes each having rou s of spaced mutilations along its length an displayed at its exterior when in position, the

roups of mutilations being diiferent where- Ey to identify the conductors throughout the length of the cable.

3. An electric multi-core cable comprising a plurality of conductors each having an individual insulating covering to form the individual cores, and a tape of insulating material wrapped about each core. said tapes distinguishing the cores into major groups, said individual insulating coverings bein of differing colors to distinguish each of the major groups into a plurality of minor coz4a2 groups, said tapes each having groups of spaced perforations along its length whereby to revealthe color of the individual insulating coverings therethrough, the groups of perforations serving to distinguish the core from other cores having the same colors of tape and insulating covering.

4. An electric multi-core cable comprising a plurality of-individual insulated conductors, an external enclosing tape of insula'ting material for each of said conductors having groups of spaced mutilations along it, said mutilations serving to distinguish said conductor from others in said cable, an external wrapping of insulating material common to all of said conductors and enclosing them, .and an external protective sheathing for said cable.

5. An electric multi-core cable comprising a plurality of individual insulated conductors, tapes of insulating material each wrapped helically around one of said conductors, said tapes having spaced groups of identifying mutilations along it, the mutilations of said group being formed in oblique rows on said tape so that when wrapped about the cable the rows of mutilations extend substantially lengthwise of the cable.

6. An electric multi-core cable comprising a plurality of individual insulated conductors, tapes of insulating material each wrapped helically around one of said conductors, said tapes having spar-ed groups of identifying mutilations along them, the mu tilations of each of said groups being an ranged in a straight line diagonally across the wrapping at a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the wrapping when in position, and in spaced relationship, so that the 'mutilations appear to run in groups axially of the respective conductors.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 1st. day of December, 1925.

STANLEY JAMES BRYCE. 

